I would confidently call this the best restaurant in Cambridge. The food is an amazing and reasonably priced. I've tasted flavors here which I couldn't even imagine. (Can't speak to the question of "authenticity", but I can confirm it's delicious.) The service is down to earth and super elucidating (which is important for me because I know little about Turkish food.) Ambiance is also best in Cambridge in my opinion. Great place to take your partner or even your parents. 10/10

Went for my mom's birthday! We had an amazing time and were very impressed. We sat in a back room with large windows, it would have been chilly if not for the ample amount of heaters. What we were really impressed with was the food. We ordered many small plates, mainly by ask in what the staff recommended. The sauces were all cooked to perfection, the different doughs (for dumplings or boreks or anything) were all crisped to perfection. As a whole, I was impressed by the continuity of flavors. Every dish seemed to go with every other dish. Vegetarians will eat very well here. The merengues dessert with ice cream was also a star. I greatly appreciate that many of their desserts had ice cream! I will be back and greatly look forward to it.

Since moving to Boston, I have continuously heard about Oleana since it's my roommate's favorite restaurant and we finally had the chance to go together a few weeks back in December! Reservations are highly recommended - with more than a week out, we were only able to snag a 8:30 spot for 2 on a Sunday! Our server recommended us to order about 4-5 items to share between 2 people - we ended up getting 4 (to save room for dessert lol). One of the highlights from dining here was how they had a celiac-safe menu; as someone with strict dietary restrictions, this was so welcome and felt like such a relief to be able to order freely. It was my first time here so I had asked our server for any specific dishes that she recommended. We ended up getting the: -topik (gluten-free): this was probably my favorite dish of the entire night! it was basically a stuffed potato with hummus lathered on top of it and what tasted like caramelized onions in between but based on the menu, it was most likely the currants and pine nuts. -potato & lentil kubba (gluten-free): tasty but didn't really stand out - they brought over the fried carrot bits in a separate plate for my roommate. I wish the outside was a little bit crispier and the carrot jam on top wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped -lamb pastilla: this wasn't gluten-free so I didn't taste it, but my roommate seemed to love it! -sultan's delight (gluten-free): our server said this was something that everyone had to get at Oleana - the meat was incredibly tender and the puree underneath was quite flavorful! however I think I had very high expectations and the actual tamarind flavor of the beef wasn't as strong as I expected. at this point I was also getting a bit hangry because for some reason, this dish took a *very* long time to come out (a table who were sat down fairly at the same time as us literally finished their meal before my dish came out)! all in all, my roommate and I very much enjoyed this meal - we were most impressed with how unique these flavor combinations were in each dish and how artfully everything was presented! i only wish the lighting in the restaurant was a bit brighter... we finished by getting the almond cremolata for dessert, which was the only guten-free item on the menu. I really enjoyed the almond milk sorbet which was super light and refreshing, but the syrup was pretty heavy and a bit too sweet for my liking. I also really liked the spiced flavor of the candied pumpkin, but wasn't too big of a fan of their texture - the pieces were harder than I expected!

5+! So good. All but entrees are small plates but each done to perfection. I got the lemon chicken and it was moist and tender. Large so I took half home. We also had 3 smaller plates. I got tea at it came with large pot which was nice. Baked Alaska was amazing. Service was perfect and so knowledgeable. Can not wait to go back!!!

Yup. Really great. Some of the best bites had in Boston, highlighted by the mushroom borek, topik, and a lamb and eggplant moussaka! I wanna go back. Just delicious, great cocktails, great desserts and a warm and fun ambiance. Service on point too!

Oleana is absolutely worthy of the hype it receives. From the attentive and knowledgeable servers to the incredibly flavors to the cozy ambiance, it continues to be one of the best restaurants in the Cambridge/Boston area. Specific dish reviews below, but wanted to call out how great the staff and kitchen were at accommodating one of our party's gluten / dairy allergy while maintaining most of the menu items! Food: 1. Za'atar bread with whipped yellow lentil and pumpkin purée (5/5) -- this was one of our first bites and was truly heavenly between the pillowy bread and mindblowing puree 2. Pear and chicory salad (4/5) 3. Gigante bean salad (4.5/5) 4. Flattened potatoes (3.5/5) 5. Fatteh (5/5) -- an incredibly flavorful and textured dish that I found super unique 6. Feta kataifi (3.5/5) 7. Spinach falafel (4/5) 8. Scallops (4.5/5) 9. Sultan's Delight (5/5) -- what more could you want than tender beef exploding with tamarind flavor plus a delightful eggplant puree 10. Lemon chicken (5/5) -- who knew chicken could be simultaneously so tender and rich with flavor with a perfectly crispy skin?! Dessert: 1. Baked Alaska (5/5) -- Oleana's classic dessert has been on the menu for a million years for a reason 2. Apple Persian love cake (4.5/5) 3. Walnut cake (4/5) -- was still very good but just a tad sweet for my taste 4. Turkish style profiteroles (3.5/5) 5. Almond cremolata (3.5/5) Drinks: 1. Rose lemonade (5/5) 2. Beer-sumac soda (4/5) 3. Rooibos tea (5/5)

This place is so hyped and it doesn't fail to meet expectations. We ordered the fatteh, red pepper dumplings, sultan's, and lemon chicken, and profiteroles and they didn't disappoint. Fatteh is a must 10/10! Flavors and textures all mixed extremely well together in a unique way. Would recommend if you're into culinary creativity. 6/5. Sultans was good, but probably least favorite. Nothing stood out, I wouldn't order. 3/5 Dumplings were good as well. Super flavorful and basically wanted to drink the sauce it was in. 4/5. Lemon chicken was really good and filling! Everything else I wish there was more of but the chicken was a great amount. I thought there'd be bones in it but it actually is just a hunk of chicken. Super easy to eat and the crust is crispy in the best way. Cooked to perfection and so moist. Definitely order to round out the rest of the food. 5/5. Everyone else ordered the profiteroles so we got them, but honestly they were okay. They look like Greek donuts and so I didn't expect there to be a creamy filling, wish there wasn't. That's on us though. 3/5. All in all really unique spot and would highly recommend trying out at least once. Staff is incredibly nice as well. Not overhyped!

love this place. Such a cozy restaurant with a kind of bohemian vibe. Bartender there was very friendly and knowledgeable and responded some amazing dishes, which are small meddetrrian tapas style. The food was outstanding  1) Bluefish Conserva- light and flavorful with good acidity. Bluefish was fresh and tender 4/5 2) Fatteh- so good. Very savory and light. Greta textures with different vegetables and the crunchy flatbread. The yugat sauce added a nice light tartness too 5/5  3)Sultan's Delight- beef was so tender  and great umami flavor. Eggplant pair great with it 5/5  4) red peper dumplings- the only heavy dish I  had. Was very interesting and tasty with a rich tomato yogurt sauce.  5/5 5) Vermont Quail Kebab- Tasty dish with thick tender quail atop crispy rice. Very mild kick to the dish with pistachios to add a little nuttiness and sweetness  4/5 6) Turkish Style Profiteroles- a little salty a little sweet, a little savory. Great dessert. Halva added the sweetness and the cooked cashews added a nice saltiness and good texture. 5/5 Will be coming here many more times for the food, ambiance, and kind staff

5 Stars for what I can honestly say is in my top 5 restaurants I've ever eaten at. Also- order everything on the vegetable meze section. We had a Sunday 9:30pm reservation as that's all that was available a week out, but we tried our luck and came in early and scored a spot at the bar. Rebecca was the bartender and came highly recommended by the hostess who suggested those seats over others that happened to be available. We fully trusted Rebecca after she suggested the perfect mineral-forward white wine based on my very bad description of flavor preferences. Of all the dishes we ordered, there was not a single one that felt forgettable. Each dish was surprising and had at least one element that completely blew us away. Below are the dishes you MUST order! - Za'atar bread with pistachio muhammara: This was my single favorite bite of the evening and tbh of 2024. The bread was exceptionally seasoned and the pistachio muhammara was a revelation. It was topped with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and olive oil. I'm considering going back tomorrow for this dish. - Spinach falafel with tahini sauce, beet tzatziki, and pickle slices: These falafel were moist and hearty. They balanced the zesty beet tzatziki and pickles perfectly. - Fatteh-- caramelized onions, cauliflower, crispy mushrooms, pine nuts, and yogurt between delicate sheets of filo. Every element of this dish was intentional and necessary to create this simultaneously light and satisfying small dish. Potato and red lentil Kubba featuring Swiss chard, pistachios, eggplant jam, and fried carrots. This is a more robust, filling dish that comes piping hot. It felt like comfort food elevated. Dessert: Do not miss the Turkish style profiteroles or the Milk jam filo rolls. Both are sweet and complex, but also totally decadent. Beyond that, the wine list (many natural wines!) is robust and well curated. And for us newbs, the bartenders and staff are unbelievably helpful and unpretentious. Overall, the service, ambiance, and food stood out and make this restaurant one of my new forever favorites. It truly cannot be missed!